The day after their successful bombing, a few members of the Firebrand Revolution get some rest. Of course, their de-facto leader, Sammy, has been busy all day. That is, all day in the foot of the ruined Lancaster base. While the Empire ran south with their tails tucked between their legs, the Firebrand successor wasted no time ordering fleets of semi-trucks to-and-from Las Vegas and Lancaster, running shipments six hours after the battle died. She has a handful of scavengers by her sides, picking up everything that was dropped during last night's battle.

It only took three hours and one fleet of shipment for Sammy to basically break even for the entire cost of their operation---bullets, power (for beam equipment), and in a few pilots' case, MS repair. They have a total of eight or nine Leo scrap, more spare parts scavenged in the blown-up base. Granted they're just Leo parts, but the model has been popular with rich teenagers who buy a used Leo and modify them for high performance.

Bloomfield has paid Sammy bunches, and with her tight-knit group, it's divided so that the pilots get the majority share, and that majority is split evenly in cash, so that there aren't complaints. That's on top of their personal scavenges.

Naturally, the road has been infested with more pirates who wants a piece of Firebrand's victory spoils, so the desert has become even more of a battlefield for mercenaries / solo players. Trucks were assisted by two (stolen) Leo from Firebrand.

(Firebrand players may start in Lancaster or Barstow. They're only minutes apart.)

Kate was currently not to be trifled with. She had spent the better part of the their downtime fixing her suit and still hadn't slept yet.
Her scream of horrified anguish when she saw the extent of the damage back in the hanger several hours ago had alarmed several of the techs until they found her ranting about the man who did this to her beautiful machine and silently slunk off as they let her do her work. Now after a very long night and better part of a day she had the entire internal assembly back up to 100% with the exception of the right leg's main thruster. She replaced the right Vulcan with one of the many spares about, repaired the head section, dealt with the little shrapnel damage to the leg, and had her lost saber found and brought to her. All she was waiting for now was to get the armor sections back from the machine shop and have them (re)installed and (re)painted, the only jobs she would leave to the techs.
In the meantime she caught a ride to Lancaster, she needed to replace the leg motor. Her main problem though was that ZC-UMP: VERN-270000c high output thruster assemblies were not exactly common; Only one company still made them after absorbing the old Zeonic Corporation: the Anaheim Conglomerate; And the only way to get to get one quickly would be in Vegas, or more accurately, through Bloomfield.
She walked over to Sammy, looking like hell: bags under her eyes, grease stains everywhere, and topped off with a cigarette in her teeth. "Yo, heard you talked to Bloomfield," she greeted Sammy in a raspy, tired tone, "Any way I can holler at him? I need to make an order and have the trucks pick it up on their way back if you don't mind."

IAN: (Shaking fist up at sky in a storm of GN particles) Science does not WORK this way, Setsuna!!!

not far from sammy and kate, amy sat in a parked jeep, deep in thought. her primary concern being fixing her flag, the tech crews there meant well but due to it being made of e-carbon fabricating parts for it with their in-house resources was pretty much impossible, fortunately it used a modular design allowing for damaged parts like limbs to be replaced quickly and easily, that is if you had the extra modules on hand, which amy didn't.

something said by kate to sammy got the merc's attention however, the mention of someone named bloomfield, she didn't know who the guy was but judging by the way he was referenced the guy could get his hands on things quickly, with this in mind she got up and approached the pair

"hey, uh. this bloomfield guy you mentioned, what kinda stuff can he get his hands on?" she inquired.

"If his tips were anything to go by, Bloomfield sh*ts money. I'd say you could have thermonuclear weapons if you gave him enough time and cash." Vann had met the guy a few times working as bartender. He was glitzy and annoying like everyone else who had tons of cash. But he did have tons cash, which meant Vann had tons of cash in tips. Not that he spent it on anything.

-Solar-

Meanwhile, at Lancester, Solar had found the EWAC systems to have some salvageable parts remaining. Even though he was only around to just oversee the data extraction, the beginnings of an idea were starting to form in his head...

A rickety old wooden cart pulled by a tired mule rambles down the main street. Al keeps his eyes shifting from people to people while Lil' Red, a puppy he picked up outside of town, starts to growl at passersby.

Fu*king too many faces to keep track of - he mentally notes while sliding his hand in his poncho.

He hates to come into town or any place with people but with supplies low and game scarce he had no choice but to enter Barstow and look for a general store.
Distrustful of the government since being branded a malcontent makes this journey into town a loathsome event. Al's left hand grips the reins of the poor mule while under his poncho his right index finger taps the butt end of his pistol.

"Lets just get some supplies and scat," he mutters to no one in particular.
"grrrr.."

"Bloomfield? Yes, I've talked to him. Anyone can talk to him, really. He can be a bit of a sleazebag with ladies, but nothing too bad. And yeah, he can get you anything... as long as the price is right. I've already sold the plans to the Mercurius and Vayeate, so that's worth a metrick ****ton of cash for us, already... By the way, I will split the money back on Barstow when we're done drying this place up... better show up, everyone," Sammy notes.

Yeah, a metric ***ton of cash indeed. The Imperials can't do a damn thing about it, because the Imperials on American soil is too damned corrupt to get rid of Bloomfield's services, while the high-ranked Imperials in the Capital and other parts of the world have bigger fish to fry, i.e. space.

"Just watch your stuff if you're heading to Vegas; the reports of scavengers and robbers are coming in, and they know we're shipping valuable equipment..."

"is that a fact huh?" amy replied when both vann and sammy gave the backstory of bloomfield "interesting...say, i need to place an order as well, or else my flag will be as useful as a garden ornament." before she could say anymore, amy caught sight of that gearhead that hung around with vann, thinking back she remembered about the two empire pilots she wanted to deal with

"i'l let you know what i need once we get back.." she said before walking off, casually approaching solar from behind and putting a hand on his shoulder to get his attention

"hey there sunshine. your handling data recovery right? anyway, theres something i need you to do for me."

About five hundred yards from the wreckage of Lancaster, a figure was lying prone on the top of a dune. He was covered by a black overcoat, and his face was obscured by a pair of goggles and a red mouth-covering bandana. He was observing the goings on around the base, watching what the victorious vultures were doing through a electronic horizon scanner.

They were taking... well... everything. They were stripping the base dry and there wasn't a damn thing anyone else was going to do about it. "Imperial" was a dirty enough word out here, but that did not stop the money from flowing.

"...and as long as the money flows," the figure said to himself, pulling up his goggles to reveal eyes the color of old rust. "I'll have something to do."

That said, he pulled out his radio and called in. "This is the Siberian. You there, Black Magic?"

"Black Magic here. What's up, Siberian?"

"The Firebrand is stripping the base. It looks like they're collecting everything they can load that's worth a good dollar."

"You think they're working for Bloomfield?"

"Working for him? No. Going to sell most of this junk to him? Borderline definitely."

"What do you want to do?"

The figure thought for a moment. He had an idea, and it brought a devious smile to his face.

"Move the trailer to Barstow. I've got a proposition for these Firebranders."

"You got a plan, Boss?"

"I'm starting to think about it." he chuckled before rolling off the top of the dune and starting a jog for his ATV.

Meanwhile, back at Barstow, Eric was plastered to a cot down in the mines. He was tired and had no qualms showing it. When everyone else had volunteered to go pick Lancaster apart, he had volunteered to stay behind and keep watch.

...though he never said that he'd do a good job of it.

"Mmm... sa'sprilla..." he mumbled, dreaming of the drink his father had hoarded back in the day. Oh, how good life had once been.

Magnus pulled himself up onto his GuAIZ' head, after spending an hour climbing it looking for damage.

'My camera seems to have suffered damage from something other than that saboteur.'

As Magnus looked over his GuAIZ' head, it didn't take him long to find the source of the problem. One of the overlapping armor plates on his GuAIZ' head had been pried out of place. There were some gouges carved into the armor about a meter in from the edge of the plate, and the plate was still about 45 centimeters out of place. Magnus drew his saber, and swept it through the gap in the armor, knocking a long, thin tube out of place. As Magnus pulled the tube from under the plate, a piece of paper which had been wrapped around it came loose in his hand. Magnus unrolled the piece of paper looking for a message, and sure enough, he found one.

'Ordinator Warren, report to point 45311 for debriefing. You should find proof of my authority nearby.'

Knowing right away what the symbol he should search for was, he looked under the displaced armor plate, and found a saber which matched his perfectly thrust into his mobile suit's head. Magnus adjusted his belt so he could carry both sabers, and drove the one he already had into the armor, using it to lever the loose plate out of the way. It took him about fifteen minutes, but Magnus eventually managed to loosen the plate enough that he could retrieve the saber. Once that was done, Magnus leaned ver the edge of his GuAIZ' head, and called out, "Could I get maintainance up here? I found some damage which is going to need fixing if I'm to keep fighting!"

The perennial grumpypants decided he may as well take advantage of the situation to his own advantage. "If you need someone to go into Vegas with you, I know it inside and out. Plus, more than a few thugs there know not to give me trouble, so things could be easier for you." In truth, Vann had another goal in mind, but he still knew his tendency to jump into barfights would pay off when it came to bodyguarding Sammy.

-Solar-

Solar, not one for being touched, quickly pulled back out of instinct before turning around to face Amy. "Yeah, that would be me. What do you need?"

"nothing big, just need you to find out who is the owner of the red leo cannon that was at lancaster during the raid, also" amy paused before tearing a piece of paper off of her notepad with the words 'Ganelon Mennesson' written on it "need to know who this is"

Solar noted her request, and returned to his laptop to peer into the database. However, when he heard Sammy's order, he bolted up and ran over to the main communications server. Quickly, he ran a sweep to check for any jamming programs. None. No viruses, either, as a systems check revealed. "It had to be M-particleth, but I don't know how thow many could be thpread thow fatht..."

-Vann-

At once, Vann let out a massive stream of obscenities that probably could have paid for a new mobile suit, had Firebrand a swear jar. He ran over to the nearest motor vehicle, a currently unoccupied truck. "My suit's back at Barstow! Anyone else need a ride?"

The truck Vann jumped into wasn't completely empty, Kate had been sitting in the back and talking on a rather rugged looking cellphone to her primary go-between in Vegas, who was putting her in touch with Bloomfield; Her hometown contacts were still quite good, though only one end of the conversation could be heard aloud, it was rather clear who she was talking with and what about. Her eyes closed but she kept speaking as all who were going back to base piled in and Vann gunned the engine; Kate was just along for the ride, so to speak.
"Yes?"
....
"Okay,"
.. _
"Hi~"
... ...
"What!?"
...
"Because I've been good to you? And besides there was that one time, with the stuff, and the thing..
..
"Ha!
..... ..
"A ZC-UMP VERN-270000c, preferably a new factory model; Oh, and a pair of Type-23 mounting brackets, converted for pump use. I'll also be bringing the cannon assembly from those lovely plans that just hit your desk too. You can get me the difference in cash."
.....
"Yeah, So?"
......
"Well do you know that the thing explodes when fired?"
..
"Yep, saw it happen myself."
...
"Yeah, I didn't think the boss-lady mentioned that. I've got enough remains of the collector to cut down on figuring out what went wrong and the barrel's fine. It'll ensure you're the first with a working model on the market that makes sure clients can come back for repeat business for one.
.....
"Thank you, Arrand, you're a real peach."
... ..
"Uh, just by midnight tonight would be fine."
......
"Oh, and you might get a call later for additional parts from someone new to the area, just a heads up"
...
"Talk to you later too; Thanks Again"
.
"Bye."

She hung up and, oblivious to everyone else and the rest of the goings on, fell asleep in the back of the truck.

IAN: (Shaking fist up at sky in a storm of GN particles) Science does not WORK this way, Setsuna!!!

"yeah yeah, alright, calm down..." amy told vann as she slung her rifle onto her right shoulder and meandered towards the truck "by the way, have you bothered to check if that truck has any heavy weaponry inside it? cos if it doesn't and we encounter mobile suits what are you gonna do, yell at them?"

rather than wait for his reply she detoured to where a stack of crates had been put after they were shifted from lancasters armoury, opening the one labelled 'S.M.A.W' and pulling out what looked like a rocket launcher, slinging it over her left shoulder before grabbing a few rocket tubes and tucked them under her arms as she went back to the truck, dumping the rounds and the launcher in the vacant seat next to kate before hopping into the front passenger seat, her rifle now sitting in her lap.

"Yes, wonderful thinking, grab a rocket launcher! Then if we actually meet a mobile suit, we'll just have something nice and explosive sitting around and waiting to be shot! I mean, don't mind the driver who obviously isn't suicidal enough to even approach a battle with a sh*tty truck or anything! I mean, sorry if I totally forgot that I'm not f*cked-up enough to enjoy fighting for money! But hey, if you want to go charging into conflict with nothing but a truck and your own f*cking idiocy, there's plenty of fine, not-Firebrand material for you to waste!" Vann made his utter contempt for the mercs known as he angrily fired up the engine.

"Vann, for god'th thaketh, could you try to be nice to the people on our thide?" Solar ran over with some printed directions for how to reach Barstow while evading the conflict.

"When I can trust that they actually are, I'll f*cking consider it." Vann gunned the engine, thanking himself it was loud enough to drone out everyone else as he drove off to Barstow.

initially unphased by yet another one of Vanns rants, amy merely raised an eyebrow before gazing out the window at the scenery or lack thereof, for half of the trip she tried to put her mind elsewhere but the loudness of the trucks diesel engine had given her a headache, something that was exacerbated as the flippant slander thrown her way by the loudmouth kept going around inside her head.

as she considered her options amy saw that the guy had not put on his seatbelt, and without a moments hesitation she reached over, grabbed the wheel and wrenched it to one side, sending the vehicle swerving to the right and the drivers door (which hadn't been shut properly) swinging wide open. giving vann a nudge with her arm in the process

Vann grunted. The road was rough and bumpy, and to make things worse, he had to share it with mercs. He just needed to get bacck to Barstow, grab the Gundam, and then everything might just-

In a simple blur, the truck hit a massive bump, and Vann found himself flying out of the side door and to the side of the road. He got up, coughing from all the dirt, swearing vigorously. "OK, ow, f*ck, I'm fine, let's..." The truck did not not seem to stop for him. In fact, he couldn't see it. "SON OF A-"

as soon as vann had tumbled out of the door Amy had slid into the drivers seat and taken control of the vehicle, shutting the door and continuing the drive at a more sedate pace

one long and boring round about trip later the truck arrived at barstow, only to get stuck behind a cart being pulled by a mule, as the truck moved along at a crawl, she got the distinct feeling that someone was watching the truck, one of her hands went down to grasp her rifle as she looked at kate via the wing mirror, who as still asleep in the back

Kate opened a bleary eye and slid her G18 from it's holster on her thigh. She cast her open eye to the mirror in front of her. "Wasa'matter? Another attack?"" she asked Amy in a sleepy voice as she came awake and realized Vann wasn't here any more. "Did they tag Vann while I was out?" she asked a bit hopefully.

IAN: (Shaking fist up at sky in a storm of GN particles) Science does not WORK this way, Setsuna!!!